Big East Showdown: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

Written by The Royal Post News

Tuesday, 14 November 2006

Thursday Night Action Ready for Kickoff

In this edition of The Royal Post we take a look at the Thursday evening game featuring West Virginia and Pittsburgh. Be sure to check back regularly as we'll be providing great sports betting information on weekend football.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

Thursday, the West Virginia Mountaineers (8-1 SU & 4-3-1 ATS) look to stay in the Big East title race when they visit the Pittsburgh Panthers in the 99th meeting between the teams.

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The Panthers (6-4 SU & 5-4 ATS) lead the all-time series SU 59-36-3, but the teams have split the last six meetings. West Virginia QB Pat White rushed for 220 yards and two TDs in his team's 45-13 win in Morgantown last season, setting a Big East rushing record for a QB that he then broke with 247 yards against Syracuse on Oct. 14.

The Mountaineers will again be looking to overpower the Panthers with their running game. West Virginia ranks second in the nation with 318.2 rushing ypg, RB Steve Slaton is second in the country with 151.4 a contest and White has run for 567 yards and 11 TDs in his last four games.

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Pitt, meanwhile, ranks 90th in the nation with 157.6 rushing yards allowed per game.

White and Slaton each ran for a pair of TDs Saturday and the Mountaineers scored five of their six TDs on drives of five or fewer plays. West Virginia racked up 313 rushing yards against a Cincinnati defense that hadn't allowed more than 166 on the ground in any of its first nine games this year.

The Mountaineers are tied with Louisville for second place in the conference, one game behind undefeated Rutgers. West Virginia hosts the seventh-ranked Scarlet Knights in the regular-season finale for both teams on Dec. 2.

The Panthers have dropped three straight, including Saturday's 46-45 defeat in double OT at Connecticut. Pitt blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost on a successful 2-point conversion by the Huskies.

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Notable Game Trends:

- Mountaineers are 6-1-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

- Mountaineers are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a favorite.

- Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road favorite.

- Mountaineers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games.

- Mountaineers are 11-3-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall.

- Panthers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games.

- Panthers are 10-25 ATS in their last 35 games following a SU loss.

- Panthers are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 night games.

- Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in November.

- Panthers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.